LLinE Lifelong Learning in Europe

LLinE Previous issues

Vol.XVI Issue 4/2011 A World of Lifelong Learning: Latin America
This issue continues the regional thematic series started a year ago with an issue on Asia. The fundamental aim of these geographical themes is to expose ourselves to new practices, scholarship and ways of thinking about lifelong learning and to link European adult education professionals with colleagues overseas.

We now focus on the adult education trends of Latin America. Although this hugely varied region escapes generalization, we can still distinguish some common traits in the continent’s many countries. “Youth and adult education”, as the term goes in the region, faces challenges of quality and equity. Nevertheless there has been a partial revision on adult education as a priority in some countries in the last few years.

The articles of this issue range from broad overviews and analyses of e.g. advocacy systems such as CONFINTEA to a case study documenting prison education in Argentina. In addition to our thematic content this issue presents topical research into the impact of lifelong learning as well as an innovative partnership between the arts and business worlds. »

Vol.XVI Issue 3/2011 Literacy
A sense of urgency permeates the contributions of this Literacy-themed issue of LLinE. Although world illiteracy has been halved since the 1970s, there is no cause for complacency as countless people in the Third World struggle with basic reading and writing skills.

At the same time the view of literacy as a continuum, ranging from basic reading and writing to functional (literacy beyond the basic level, needed to function in modern society) and digital literacy has gained acceptance.

With the bar thus raised for ourselves we are faced with, for instance, the fact that in the heart of Europe, Germany, over seven million people are functionally illiterate.

This issue attempts to follow the literacy continuum, addressing and studying the different aspects of this multifaceted concept, from empowering basic education in Southeast Asia to new media literacy in the UK »

Vol.XV Issue 2/2011 Museums and Libraries as Learning Environments
Museums and libraries, as repositories of human knowledge and culture, are obvious places of learning, but ones that are in rapid transformation. The pace of development of, for instance, information technology causes pressures for change in these institutions, while also creating new opportunities.

This issue of LLinE offers a collection of contributions from this world: the world of art galleries and historical and cultural museums, and libraries. Practically all of the articles, although written in different corners of the continent, spontaneously display the same recurring themes: multiprofessional cooperation as a way of expanding access to services, the need to entice new audiences and the desire to encourage these audiences to be active agents in their own learning.

The geographical scope is wide: contributions from Egypt and the Caucasus region complement the European voices in the issue. An article from Australia launches our new article series on the impact of lifelong learning. »

Vol.XV Issue 1/2011 Exporting Education
International trade in educational services is a thriving industry for many countries. Others are only now looking into the possibility of entering the export markets. Trade in education takes many forms: educational exchange programmes, educational system design and consultation and teaching technology export, to mention some examples. Transferring expertise is at the core of all of these forms of export.

Educational expertise is a sum of various complex factors: cultural values, attitudes towards teaching and learning, learning philosophies and tacit knowledge. Are these kinds of abstract factors transferable? What are we exporting when we export education: systemic solutions or also a way of thinking? What kind of trade policy fosters export success? What does it take for a country to penetrate the export markets? These are some of the questions this issue tries to answer.

The issue’s geographical focus is Finland. This focus affords us a useful view of a country in the initial stages of commercializing its education expertise. Education export is a hot topic in the country as Finland hopes to capitalize on its reputation and turn education into the next big export success. »

Vol.XV Issue 4/2010 A World of Lifelong Learning: Asia
LLinE 4/2010 launched a thematic series where each year one issue will be devoted to a particular part of the world and the topical lifelong learning themes in that region of the globe. The issue at hand focuses on Asia, particularly South and Southeast Asia. The material is co-edited with Professor Heribert Hinzen, director of the Laos Regional Office South and Southeast Asia of the German Adult Education Association’s (DVV) international branch.

Much of the work of dvv international in Asia has to do with development through lifelong learning. Material gathered by Professor Hinzen from his organization’s networks enables us to contemplate the links between learning and development and active civil society, making this an important subtheme of our issue. Other contributions draw our attention to human resource practices in Chinese companies, the history of lifelong learning in India and the effect of Confucian ideas on the concept of competences in South Korea, to mention a few examples. »

Vol.XV Issue 3/2010 Travel and Lifelong Learning
Stepping outside of the familiar, out of one’s comfort zone, is always a learning experience. This issue of LLinE will examine travel as a source of lifelong learning. Dealing with such a huge concept we have consciously limited ourselves to voluntary, short-term travel as opposed to, say, forced migration. The main focus is on different forms of leisure travel and tourism, which has become one of the world’s biggest industries.

Our articles bear witness to the vast array of motivations for travel: entertainment, identity building, employment advantage, cultural learning, exchange of know-how, or simply sensitizing oneself to the new, unknown and surprising. The individual voices of the writers are heard particularly well in many of this issue’s contributions, testifying of the often intimate and emotional nature of travel. »

Vol.XV Issue 2/2010 Lifelong Learning and Wellbeing
The mission of LLinE is to bring adult education academics and practitioners together to share their work and best practices. To complement the printed forum of the journal, LLinE has a long tradition of organizing international conferences on lifelong learning themes. The 12th international LLinE Conference on the theme of wellbeing was held on the 27th to 29th of January, in Tuusula, Finland. This issue of the journal is a selection of the conference papers and presentations. Hence, the central question we ask in this issue is: how does learning influence wellbeing in different settings?
This issue’s contributions form together a holistic picture of wellbeing. The articles cover topics from wellbeing at work to mental health, from 3rd age wellbeing to national education policy. »

Vol.XV Issue 1/2010 Lifelong Learning and Social Cohesion
Modern societies are becoming increasingly multicultural, fragmented and individualistic. Some would argue they are also becoming increasingly unequal in material terms. It is clear then that society-wide cohesion cannot emerge from homogeneity as it may have done in the past. What is the role of learning in furthering social cohesion in Europe? How can marginalization be turned into inclusion and integration? How do civil society and participative democracy affect cohesion? These are the main questions explored in this issue of LLinE. Cohesion is a tremendously multifaceted concept and each article approaches it from its own angle. »

Vol.XIV Issue 4/2009 Learning Generations
Learning needs and opportunities and the learning experience all vary across our lifespan. Generational experiences regarding working life and work-related learning also differ greatly from one another. How can people in different life phases be best included in learning? What is the role of lifelong learning in creating a satisfying and meaningful working life? »

Vol.XIV Issue 3/2009 Digital Technologies Supporting Lifelong Learning
Technological innovations are providing learners and educators with new tools, spaces and possibilities for learning as well as new ways of collaborating, interacting and making oneself present during learning activities. How can we harness the power of technological innovations for meaningful and life-long learning? »

Vol. XIV Issue 2/2009 Lifelong Learning as a Right? European Perspectives
The rhetoric of many national governments and international organisations views lifelong learning as a right for everyone. But what is the reality of lifelong learning – is it a right that is fulfilled in Europe today? How can lifelong learning promote inclusion and empowerment? »

Vol. XIV Issue 1/2009 Sustainable Development and Lifelong Learning
Education and lifelong learning have an important role to play in equipping citizens with the competences and attitudes necessary for creating an environmentally, economically, socio-politically and culturally sustainable future. In this issue we examine efforts and initiatives across Europe to further sustainable development in different fields of the society. »

Vol. XIII Issue 4/2008 Remote Areas and Lifelong Learning
Remoteness can be a challenge for education at all levels. In this issue we consider what is the impact of distance, or remoteness, to adult education and lifelong learning. Can adult education technologies and community initiatives help overcome “remoteness”? »

Vol. XIII Issue 3/2008 Validation of Competences and Prior Learning
Validation of non-formal and informal learning has been identified as a European priority on several occasions, especially when it comes to promoting lifelong learning for all. This issue presents examples from different European countries. »

Vol. XIII Issue 2/2008 Educating with the Brain in Mind
Educational neuroscience provides evidence that can support lifelong learning and inform educational policy and practice. But are we educating with the brain in mind? »

Vol. XIII issue 1/2008 New Partnerships and Lifelong Learning
New partnerships have the potential of bringing in and forming new teams and groups of experts and expertise, i.e. individuals, organizations, social groups and their cultures, to solve problems in collaboration for the creation of new educational possibilities to the advancement of lifelong learning. In addition to forming innovative and creative teams that step beyond the boundaries of expected and common, new partnerships can help harness the funds of knowledge generated within and across different social and cultural contexts. Although collaboration may not always be easy, causing tensions and conflicts, it can be a powerful practice to go forward. At best, we can create new understandings of learning and education - both for educational research on lifelong learning as well as for its policies and practice. »

Vol. XII issue 4/2007 Religious Communities and lifelong learning
Statistics show that in nearly all European countries one of the three big religious communities is clearly dominant; yet the religious diversity brings out defence reactions, which often emerge from ignorance and fear. The majority religion has more influence in people's behaviour than many of us realise. It is in values and attitudes, even for those who do not actively practise it; it affects the legislation, and the way we see the 'others'. Religion is based on our need to have a trust that there is life extending beyond this one; a need for safety, protection, connection with other people – togetherness. When we are part of a community there is a danger of dividing the world into ‘us’ and ‘them’. Yet, religion is only one part of our identity. »

Vol. XII issue 3/2007 Migration and lifelong learning
European countries find migrants a challenge. What kind of learning is needed to make the challenge a positive one? Who should learn – and what should be learned? People come with their cultural baggage. The challenge lies in respecting every person’s human rights, and their right to develop and use their talents and capacity for their own and their society’s benefit. »

Vol. XII issue 2/2007 European identities
European identities is an issue connected not only with the European Union, the new members and the nation states, but also with values, culture, language – and the increasing mobility. The challenge is to understand how identity formation takes place in the contemporary world. What roles do education and increasing transnational communication have in it? »

Vol. XII issue 1/2007 Learning Regions - Learning Cities
How do societies respond to the effects of globalisation? By cushioning them with activating democracy procedures, lifelong learning, entertainment. But in active communities people create their own solutions, as examples from the UK and Amsterdam show. Defining the concept of learning region or learning community is a learning process in itself, and not an easy one, as projects in several countries show. »

Vol. XI issue 4/2006 A Future of Sustainability and Equity
A future of sustainability and equity for active citizenship and a competitive Europe are the objectives in the two EU Communications on adult learning released this autumn. LLinE discusses these issues, but listens also to the voice of the adult learners, who in a powerful way describe the difficulty and personal impact of adult learning in Europe. »

Vol. XI issue 3/2006 Celebrating Diversity
In the world situation today, it is more and more obvious that we must learn to respect and celebrate diversity, not face difference with fear and take it as a threat. We all are the "Other" to some one, so we could well see you with interest and curiosity, eager to learn (about) new ways. »

VOL XI issue 2/2006 Basic Skills and Key Competencies
One of the basic challenges in the development of Europe is the educational level, the basic skills and key competencies needed for all in the future. The Lisbon Strategy, the global competition, the social cohesion and the well-being of citizens predict great changes. »

Vol. XI issue 1/2006 Adult Education in the Western Balkan countries; Health education and health Promotion
STRUGGLE FOR A CHANGE OF CULTURE
In the sections OTHER THOUGHTS and INTIME ONTIME, LLinE presents events and thoughts for readers to reflect on cultural co-existence in Europe, and indeed the whole world. Very recently, we have experienced a tragedy in Europe, in our neighbourhood, which allows no one any more to say: “I could not imagine the consequences.” Now the countries in the Western Balkan are at a new beginning.

The Western lifestyle produces illnesses that could be avoided or the number decreased. Health promotion tackles the problem of how intervention could be successful. »

Vol. X issue 4/2005 Government communication and citizen activity
How do institutions and people communicate – or do they? Do people even see their own lives in a perspective? This issue offers various perspectives to these questions through several projects, through a government program for citizenship education, and through an educationalist's program. Even the interview is concerned with communication, as is teaching in its essence, especially sensitively the gendered undertones. »